Blog - Primary Planet

5 Fun Activities for November for Really Happy Students

Fun activities for November! Ah! November! I don’t know about you, but I LOVE November. My students are in the groove (hopefully), the Halloween craziness is over, and everyone is feeling Thankful that Thanksgiving is on it’s way! Here are some activities to make your students happy in the month of November. Yup, there are some freebies as well! Read on… Fun Activities for November #1: Turkey in Disguise I cannot take credit for this one, but this is my Favorite November Activity: Disguise a Turkey! The gist is that you give your students a “naked turkey” and they decorate

Cover image showing sticker stories and Title 5 Creative Writing Activities that your Primary Students will adore!

5 Creative Writing Activities your Primary Students will Absolutely Adore!

When I first started teaching I was scared to death to teach writing! I read everything that I could get my hands on about teaching writing and learned a lot. One of the hardest things for me to overcome was my student’s reluctance to write! So, I am always looking for writing activities to keep my students engaged and excited to write during our Writing block! I am going to share with you some creative writing activities that your primary students will absolutely adore! You, my friend, will also find some organization tips, storage tips, and freebies! Read on… Writing

How to Successfully Teach Sequencing with Fun Writing Mini-Lessons

Sequencing is the identification of the pieces of a story or event— the beginning, middle, and end. It also refers to the ability to retell the events in a text in the order in which they occurred. Sequencing and retelling are great ways to improve both your students writing and their reading comprehension! Read on for some fun ways to teach sequencing in your classroom! I liked to use the gradual release of responsibility model of instruction in my classroom. Basically, it boils down to “I do… We do… You do…” so in this post, I will be giving you some

5 Delightful Reasons to Hold One-to-One Student Reading Conferences

Reading with students is such an important part of teaching. We have such limited time during the day so we have to do what is super important. So, today I am giving you some reasons to try to fit one-to-one student reading conferences into your day! Building Relationships with Students Getting to Know Your Students as Readers Reading Goal Setting Plan Instruction Individual Student Reading Instruction Reason #1: Building Relationships with Students Most teachers that I know got into teaching because they love kids. We love the “lightbulb moment” when something clicks for our students. We love getting to know

october activities cover with surprised little girllittle girl

7 Fun October Activities You NEED in Your Primary Classroom

October Activities are my favorite activities! Ahhhhhhh! Fall is a lovely season here in Indiana. This is a great time of year for being a teacher as well. The kiddos are finally into the routine (hopefully), your teacher stamina is built up, and things are humming along. Not to mention you can get out all of your cute jeans and sweaters! I have a few October Activities to help your October be even better! And yes, there are freebies as well! So, without further ado… 7 Fun October Activities You NEED in Your Primary Classroom October Activities #1: Pumpkin Math!

Cover How can I Easily Use Picture Writing Prompts for Creative Writing?

How can I easily use Picture Prompts for Creative Writing?

Using picture prompts for creative writing has been a huge help in my classroom! Does this happen to you? You spend 10-15 min. on a writing mini-lesson, then send your darling cherubs off to write independently and you hear “I don’t know what to write about!” It used to happen to me ALL the time! Some students always have an idea, others need a little help. A picture is worth 1,000 words, right? Well, it can also help spark 1,000 words in your students! Here are some easy ways that you can use picture prompts for creative writing in your

10 Fun Ways to Use a Printable Spelling Dictionary in your Primary Classroom

By having their own personal spelling dictionary, students can take ownership of their spelling skills and work on improving them one word at a time. Check out these 10 ways a spelling dictionary book can be used in the classroom!

Fantastic First Week of School: Teach Your Writes with Free Sentence a Day Image

Fantastic First Week of School: Teach Your Writers with Free Sentence a Day

Sentence a day is a great getting-to-know-you activity and helps you to set up your writing block easily! Ah! The fun, fantastic, exhausting first week of school! It’s always filled with SO MUCH! Of course, setting up your classroom procedures and routines are at the top of the list, but you also want to get to know your new little classroom family and you want them to get to know each other! Let me help you do a little of both! Teach Your Writers: First Week of School Activities My writing block is always my favorite time of the day,

3 Fun STEM Activities to Engage Your Fast Finishers

STEM Activities for Fast Finishers: Maker Space or STEM Center This is one of my student’s favorite ideas for fast finishers! Before we start with our Maker Space and/or STEM Center we talk a lot about what it is, what it’s not, and how to use it. One thing that we talk about is what we are making. If we make something that looks like trash and we take it home, what will the grown-up at home do with it? Throw it away. So, when we are working in this space, we should be creating something that we can use,

Math Activities for Early Finishers with Free Pattern Block Challenge Mats

4 Fun Math Activities for Early Finishers

Math Activities for Early Finishers 1: Flashcards I don’t know about your kiddos, but mine always need extra practice with their basic math facts! A super simple way to practice their math facts is with flashcards! They don’t need to be fancy, in fact, you could have the kiddos make their own with index cards, or you could buy a few sets to have in your classroom like these. (This post does contain affiliate links to Amazon. If you do purchase something through my links I receive a small commission at no cost to you!) When the kiddos are done

5-Fun-Writing-Activities-For-Fast-Finishers-Cover

5 Fun Writing Activities for Early Finishers

So, the rule during our Writer’s Workshop is “When you think you’re done, you’ve just begun!” But what does that mean for those students who finish early? Read on to find some of our favorite writing activities for early finishers! Writing Activities for Early Finishers: Writing Center I love my writing center! I did an entire post dedicated to my writing center. You can find it here. A writing center can also be SUPER simple. Really all you need for a writing center is paper. A super basic writing center could have just lined paper and blank paper. Trust me,

6 Easy Reading Activities for Fast Finishers

Looking for some fun, meaningful activities for fast finishers? This blog post is full of ideas for early finishers that are reading-related! There is also a freebie for you! Thanks for reading! Reading Activities for Fast Finshers: 1 Reading itself is a favorite activity for early finishers in my room. I have a ton of children’s books, and they are just too tempting. My room is surrounded by great books! My students store 2-3 books in their book boxes that they are welcome to read or look at when they are done with their work, eating snacks (if they are

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